Communication devices, such as portable radios, are utilized in a wide variety of communication environments, such as law enforcement, fire, rescue, security and the like. A portable, handheld radio is typically housed within a plastic enclosure, and depending on user interface requirements, the housing may offer a push-to-talk switch, control knobs, keypad, speaker grill and display.
In recent years, there has been a strong desire to miniaturize such products for ease of portability and weight. However, current trends to miniaturize the overall radio size must be balanced with the ability to maintain a logistical user interface while maintaining structural robustness.
The front of the radio typically includes the speaker, display and keypad, with the combination of these elements making up the actual overall length. Given that speaker porting is critical and that displays are getting larger, the keypad has often has to decrease in size in order to align with radio miniaturization. However, decreasing the size of the keypad can make the user interface difficult, particularly in the public safety market where gloves may be worn by the user of the radio. Additionally, audio porting within an assembly must be carefully considered to avoid problems with audio quality.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved assembly for a portable communication device having a user interface incorporating a keypad and a speaker.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.